"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has"

Margaret Mead, Anthropologist
(used with permission)



"If you don't like the news .... go out and make some of your own !!"

Wes "Scoop" Nisker, Newscaster



INTRODUCTION

Government is a slow and tedious process. While it often includes citizen and neighborhood involvement, non-governmental, private organizations have created movements and interesting groups which can create positive change in our cities and towns.

I am fascinated by the way groups are created and how they influence public decision making. This blog merely recognizes them and forwards the description of these groups from their own websites.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

CityFabric

Location: International

Website: www.cityfabric.org

CityFabric aspires to build community and civic-pride for your city by creating conversations about your place through simple design and apparel tools.

Our maps are a very easy way for people to tell a story about where they live. Communicating the process of change and design in the built environment is crucial for inspiring people to get involved in the decisions that determine the direction of their city.

It is our belief that the more people talk about their place the more they will get involved in their community.

Our Story:

Trial & Error - August 2010 to April 2011:

After printing 75 tees and selling half in three hours at a local arts market, we decided to learn the ins and outs of retail, inventory, production, online publicity, and innovation over the 7 months while still in grad school full-time

CityFabric, Inc - April 2011:

Matt founded CityFabric, Inc. and started planning a Kickstarter project to launch a full civic-minded line of products focused on engaging people with the city.

Kickstarter – July 2011 to August 2011:

The success of our Wear You Live™" Kickstarter project could not have come at a better time, offering Matt the confidence to move forward with CityFabric as a national identity focused on creating conversations about the city and fostering community engagement.

Walk the Walk – January 2012:

After months of getting the numbers to work and the brand established, CityFabric’s first civic-minded project (walk-raleigh.com) was launched, bolstering the larger CityFabric mission of "civic-minded projects fueled by civic-minded products.

Getting Noticed - Feb 2012:

After some challenges and triumphs locally, Walk Raleigh received national and international attention, with a feature in The Atlantic Cities and in the most watched BBC video in the US the day it aired.

Walk Your City - April 2012:

In response to overwhelming demand and support, Matt launched a Kickstarter for Walk [Your City], expanding the idea behind Walk Raleigh and creating an accessible platform for other cities. Matt also presented the project at the Tactical Urbanism Salon in Philadelphia.

Recognition - Summer 2012:

Our civic-minded projects started gaining recognition, winning awards like the Core 77 Design Award and an ASLA National Student Honor Award, and getting features in publications like Architect Magazine and Fast Company. In August, Walk Raleigh was selected to represent the US in the American Pavilion at the 13th Annual Venice Architecture Biennale.

Momentum - Fall 2012: Excited by the support and recognition, we continued building out our platform and partnerships for our civic-minded projects. During this process, Walk [Your City] was named one of the top 7 sites for creating the future city. Matt was selected as a 2012 Next American Vanguard, attending the Next American City conference in St. Louis with fellow “40 under 40” urban leaders from across the US.
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